Agenda and minutes

Councillors will elect a Chair for the meeting.

The Chair will introduce those present and make any necessary announcements.

The Chair and any other Councillors who are present will make any declarations as required by the Councillors Code of Conduct.

The Chair, Councillor Riyait welcomed those present and led introductions.

There were no declarations of interest.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Byrne.

The Action Log of the meeting held on 18^th June 2018, is attached and Members will be asked to confirm it as an accurate record.

The action log of the meeting held on 18^th June 2018 was agreed as an accurate record.

Ward Councillors will provide an update on local ward issues.

Councillor Bhavsar reported that:

·         Dog fouling continued to be an issue around Danbury Drive and the City Warden was asked to investigate signage to be installed.

Action: CEO to liaise with City Warden to address issue raised.

·         Anti-Social behaviour from bike/scooter riders at night was causing concern to residents in the area of Galleywood Drive, Parker Drive and Somerset Drive.

Action: Sgt Blackburn to take details after the meeting and investigate.

Councillor Riyait reported that:

·         Loughborough Road was due to reopen this coming Sunday following a long period of flood defence and road works,

·         A number of public meetings had been held to address concerns about smells emitting from Cofresh on Parker Drive, the company had now extended their chimney stacks and the situation was being monitored to see if there was improvement.

·         A public meeting had been held to address ongoing concerns about Biffa on Mowmacre Hill, it was noted that the company itself had not attended recent meetings and Councillors were looking to re-engage them to find a solution. A member of the public commented that the general manager of Biffa had met with a small group of people from the area and as a result they were more hopeful of a solution.

·         A meeting had been held at Belgrave St Peters school highlighting issues of traffic and parking around schools. Registration Plate Auto Recognition cameras had been installed on Thurcaston Road bridge and a new 20mph zone agreed around the Beaumanor Road area.

·         Pavement parking around Larchment Road was an issue being tackled and police had been working there recently with the housing association to resolve matter.

A Police Officer will be at the meeting to provide an update on local policing issues in the Ward.

Sgt Matt Blackburn provided an update on policing matters across the ward which included the following points:

Any suspicious activity please report.

·         Theft from vehicles continued to be a problem – mainly number plates being taken and used on other vehicles for crime. People were encouraged to change screws to security screws, these were available from Halfords or online.

·         A successful operation had been carried out to close a cannabis factory on Abbey Rise and 2 arrests had been made. People were encouraged to report any suspect houses/properties being used for cultivation of cannabis.

·         Police had met with the new manager of the Broadway pub, the staff were very helpful and were working to deter anti-social behaviour, the rear gate was being kept closed and the pub was being promoted as a family/dining pub. Police confirmed there was no direct information to link drug taking to the pub.

·         There were ongoing issues of anti-social behaviour around Wembury Gardens and recent reports of youths with fireworks. Police would be speaking to local businesses and reminding them not to sell fireworks to children.

·         Issues at Stocking Farm Community Centre had resumed with youths getting on roof and disturbing users. Police were working with staff at the centre and exploring options for diversion work with the youths in the area. 

Residents were reminded that at this time of year several celebrations were approaching, and all were encouraged to be vigilant and celebrate safely.

In relation to Fireworks the law was that people must not set off or throw fireworks (including sparklers) in the street or other public places and must not set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except for: Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight; New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am.

There was a campaign across North West Leicester focusing on tackling knife crime, previous incidents were being reviewed and aspects such as triggers and culture within communities were being explored.

Residents were reminded to keep their property secure, lock doors and windows especially at this seasonal time of year. Residents were also encouraged to report all incidents to police using Crimestoppers, 101 or at local beat surgeries.

The City Warden will provide an update on issues in the Ward.

The City Warden was not available to attend the meeting but provided an information sheet which included details of work done across the ward since the last meeting (attached).

A local Housing Officer will provide an update on housing issues in the Ward.

Vanshree Raja (Neighbourhood Housing Team Leader) provided an update on housing matters across the ward which included the following comments:

·         Officer were working closely with police to address issues in a number of hotspots

·         Tenants were reminded that permission was required if they were planning to make alterations to property – this included internal/external and garden work. As an example, laying slabs in gardens without permission was causing drainage and flood issues in some areas.

·         Tenants were reminded that communal areas should not be used for personal storage and items left in these areas would be removed and disposed of.

·         Flytipping was still an issue across the ward, as well as poor maintenance of front and rear gardens.

·         2019-20 programme of works included councillors ward projects that would see a lot of improvements across the ward.

Residents were reminded that all housing repairs should be reported to customer services, vulnerable tenants could make reports through the library at Beaumont Leys where staff were available to assist.

An officer from the Highways team will provide an update on matters affecting the Ward.

Mike Pears, Highways team provided an update on Highways and traffic schemes in the ward as follows:

·         Loughborough Road bridge project was drawing to an end and the road would reopen on Sunday.

·         Work had started on Ravensbridge Drive, this was part of a major works scheme that would affect St Margaret’s Way, Blackbird Road and Anstey Lane. Works were programmed to finish by Autumn 2019.

·         Halifax Drive pedestrian refuges on the downhill approach to Beaumont Leys Lane were scheduled to be completed this financial year.

·         Proposals for installing bollards on Roydene Crescent were being reviewed with the Cycling Officer and residents would be consulted in due course.

·         School run parking projects – officers were making contact with local schools to discuss.

·         Highway Maintenance work in ward outlined:

o   Halifax Drive – large area patching, and resurfacing done at cost of £55k

o   Cashmore View – concrete road repair

o   Wheatley Road – concrete road repair

o   Hadrian Rd/David Ave/Galway Rd junction – concrete road repair

There was a brief discussion about ongoing issues around the Anstey Lane Club and parking, bollards had been installed however there was still an issue with those parking there being abusive to anyone who tackled the situation. ACTION: Officers to explore any further options in the vicinity.

A member of the public asked if there were plans to introduce a 20mph zone along Anstey Lane where there were 3 schools. Officers were not aware of a planned scheme.

ACTION: Officers to investigate and provide a response to the next meeting.

Concerns were raised about Byford Road, noting there had been regular visits by civil enforcement officers. It was reported that the TRO in that area would be reviewed to see what could be done to improve situation.

Concerns were flagged that the layby on Abbey Lane which should be used for shot stops to enable public to access shops was now being used as all day parking by people who worked on the opposite side. The yellow lines had faded so parking restrictions were not being enforced and the shop was losing trade as customers were unable to stop and use facilities.

ACTION: Officers to investigate and arrange for yellow lines to be refreshed.

A member of public asked about plans for Groby Road and Fosse road junction and highlighted concerns that the service road was to be made part of the main highway which would impact on patient parking at the Dr’s surgery.

ACTION: Councillor Riyait agreed to take further details after the meeting and take this query up with officers.

Gillian Jillett, Healthwatch representative will attend to give an overview of Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire.

Gillian Jillett presented an overview of the Healthwatch service for Leicester and Leicestershire which included the following points:

·      Healthwatch arose out of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and whilst there had been some changes to the format, the Healthwatch team aimed to attend meetings such as this to capture people’s views and experiences of the health care system.

·      Healthwatch also attended meetings including scrutiny commissions and could help to influence decision making.

·      As an example of what they could achieve, Healthwatch had helped to introduce two new dental emergency services in Leicester which were open 365 days per year.

·      Attendees were asked not to be offended if they were unable to see their doctor, as General Practitioners needed to prioritise their workload. Patients might be offered an appointment with a different health professional rather than a doctor.

Anyone interested in volunteering was asked to speak to Gillian or to contact Healthwatch.

Jessica Ball, representative for the Princes Trust will provide an overview of the work of the Princes Trust.

Jessica Ball presented an overview of the Princes Trust, the UK’s leading Youth Charity, including an outline of projects and programmes that helped young people from the age of 14- 30 years old to develop skills and move forward with their lives.

It was noted that:

·         The Princes Trust reached out to those who needed help the most with Business Start-up, Team Programmes and Development Programmes.

·         Programmes were theme based, with some just a week long whilst others lasted up to 12 weeks.

·         The Princes Trust also facilitated work experience programmes with companies such as Marks and Spencer’s with opportunities for permanent work at the end.

·         Young People were recruited from across Leicester and they could either make contact themselves or be referred by other agencies. An assessment process was carried out to fit a young person to the best programme for them.

·         The Princes Trust continue to work with individual for 6 months after their programme ended.

Further information was available on the Princes Trust website or by emailing jessica.ball@princes-trust.org.uk

Councillors are reminded that under the Council’s Code of Conduct they should declare any interest they may have in budget applications.

An update will be given on the Ward Community Budget.

The community engagement officer gave an update on the ward community budget and informed those present that 4 applications had been supported since the last meeting as follows:

·         St Luke’s Church - £500 supported towards youth activities

·         Beaumont Leys Police - £500 supported towards an emergency services day

·         Little Tykes Playgroup - £300 supported towards a coach trip to Skegness

·         Abbey Ward Branch - £800 supported towards a coach trip to Skegness

It was noted that 3 applications were still pending a decision and the ward community balance stood at £15,825

All applications must be made online and help was available from the community engagement officer with the process. Tel: 0116 4541940

There being no further business the meeting closed at 7.20pm